


Ricochet

by Bluewolf458



Category: The Sentinel
Genre: Gen, Sentinel Bingo
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-07-26
Updated: 2018-07-26
Packaged: 2019-06-16 13:05:59
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 820
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/15437682
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Bluewolf458/pseuds/Bluewolf458
Summary: When a perp is killed in a shoot-out, Jim and Blair are both put on suspension because nobody knows which of them fired the fatal bullet.





	Ricochet

**Author's Note:**

> Written for the 2018 sentineo bingo prompt 'darkness'.

Ricochet

by Bluewolf

The darkness in the building was profound. Even Jim could see nothing without using a flashlight - but he could hear soft breathing and a heartbeat on one of the upper levels. Whoever was hiding there must have made his way into the derelict building and found a corner to hide in at some point during the day, though why he hadn't used the hours of daylight to flee from Cascade remained a mystery. Of course, it was possible that the person hiding there was simply a homeless person using the building as a shelter, not the serial killer they were hunting, but Andrew Dalbert had been seen heading towards it three or four hours earlier.

The odds, therefore, were that the person hiding here was Dalbert.

Jim sighed, took the flashlight Blair handed him, pulled down his sleeve to cover the brightness from it in the (probably vain) hope that whoever was hiding in the building wouldn't be aware of it when they reached the level where he was hiding, then, with Blair hanging onto his belt - the light now being too faint to help Blair see his way - headed for the stairs and began to move slowly upwards.

As they reached the level the heartbeat was coming from, Jim paused, then slowly, carefully, edged his way through the doorless opening. He heard a click, grabbed Blair and threw them both sideways in the moment that the gun fired.

He grabbed his own gun and returned fire, aware of Blair, beside him, crawling a little way to the side then also firing, knowing that Blair was only trying to distract Dalbert, leaving the actual exchange of bullets to Jim.

There was an exchange of several shots on both sides, and then a cry of pain from the man they were pursuing, followed by a thump.

Worried for a moment that it was a trick, Jim and Blair both hesitated, then Jim said, "I don't hear a heartbeat; I think he's dead."

He pulled the flashlight from his sleeve and used it to find his way over to the dead man, Blair close behind him. It was indeed Dalbert. While Jim checked the body, Blair phoned it in.

***

Of course, with shots fired and a fatality, there had to be an IA investigation.

Because the fatal bullet could have been fired by either man, both were put on temporary suspension.

Over dinner that night, Jim said, "I'm sorry."

"Sorry? Why?"

"I know you didn't kill Dalbert. All you were doing was trying to distract him by making him split his fire between us. What, you think I don't know you would never fire to kill?"

"Jim, I could, if your life was at risk. But whichever one of us it was, it was self-defense. He fired first."

"I know," Jim said. "Unfortunately, IA only has our word for it."

Blair sighed. "What I don't understand... why didn't he make a run for the Canadian border? Or if he didn't want to go to Canada, why didn't he head south once he knew he'd been identified? Why did he stay in Cascade?"

"There could have been something here that he wanted to pick up before he ran, and just his bad luck that he was seen. We're never likely to find out."

***

Halfway through the next morning, there was a phone call, telling them both to report to IA as soon as possible.

"That's quick!" Blair said.

"Dan and Forensics will have made Dalbert top priority," Jim said as he tossed Blair his jacket. "Dan and Serena love you - they're bound to want to see you cleared as soon as possible."

"You - "

"May not be actually hated, but I'm not the most popular guy in the PD," Jim said a little ruefully. "They wouldn't waste time if it was just me, but for you? Highly motivated to clear you, Chief."

***

"Ah, detectives. Have a seat."

The last person either Jim or Blair had expected to see when they arrived at the PD was IA Captain Maynard. The last thing either expected was for Maynard to hand them both their badges and guns.

"You're both off the hook," Maynard said, and from the look on his face he was happy about it.

"We are?" Jim asked.

"Dr. Wolf saw, from the angle the bullet entered Dalbert's body, that he was hit by a ricochet," Maynard told them. "He retrieved the bullet from the body, and Forensics checked it. It was a hell of a ricochet; Dalbert was killed by a bullet from his own gun."

"His own... " Jim's jaw dropped.

"Not something you would normally expect," Maynard agreed. "Well, it saves the State the expense of a trial and it means the public is safe from a ruthless killer."

They exchanged a few more words with Maynard, then headed off to Major Crime.

There were still other criminals to catch.

**Author's Note:**

> (Inspired by Darkest Before Dawn, a short piece written by unbelievable2 for the TSCC 3 'family' prompt; https://archiveofourown.org/collections/tsconcrit3/works/15292371)


End file.
